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I’ve been through a lot of foundations in my time. I spent years searching for the perfect foundations and now what I’ve found them, I stick to them. It’s rare that another comes along worthy of joining that line up. Let me tell you Revlon’s new Age Defying with DNA Advantage Cream Makeup is certainly worthy. Foundation is a very individual product – one size doesn’t fit all. I look for creamy texture, medium coverage and a soft, dewy finish and this one has just that, and more!

It combines makeup and powerful anti-aging skincare to help protect skin’s DNA to fight the signs of aging, and it contains SPF 20, winner, winner!

It markets itself as having full coverage, but don’t be put off by this – it’s not thick or cakey and doesn’t look like a mask. It is however rich and creamy and provides a medium coverage with a flawless, moisturised complexion. It’s easy to apply with fingers or a brush and blends out perfectly.

Blended out

The shade is good too. I’m a big fan of Mac foundations because their shades are tailored for both warmer and cooler skin tones. Most other brands adopt a one size fits all approach which usually means they’re too yellowey or too pink. This one seems true to my skin tone. The only criticism would be that it doesn’t cater for darker tones. The range is limited with 8 shades, I’ve got Honey Beige, which is the second darkest shade they offer.

I’m probably a bit younger than this foundations target market, and in truth it’s the fancy bottle with its swirly design that attracted me, but I’m pleased it did because this is a damn good foundation at a very reasonable price, plus you’re never too young to protect the integrity of your skin’s DNA.

Available at both Boots and Superdrug £9.99 for a limited time, RRP £13.99

For many years I’ve been a one mascara kind a gal. That one being Lancôme’s Hypnose, which I still love, but after playing the field and discovering the wonderful Falsifeye by 17 I realised that mascaras had moved on, and without me! With new ones hitting the market all the time it’s difficult to keep up, but in an attempt to update my knowledge, I’ve road tested some of the new kids on the block. They all have one thing in common – they promise the World, they don’t all deliver.

No7 Lash Adapt £12.50 7ml

I had high hopes for this mascara, especially since Boots rolled it out with a huge marketing campaign and tied its release with the £5 off voucher. The second most expensive mascara on the list, it certainly wasn’t anywhere near the best. This one markets itself as offering buildable volume. The first thing I noticed was that it didn’t coat the lashes generously enough, I had to keep dipping the wand back in for more. It took around 3 for 4 coatings to achieve what I’d call volume, but by this point the lashes were starting to look spidery, feathery and a tad clumpy, see the pic. It did have separating and lengthening qualities, but it didn’t have the WOW factor. I’d say this one is a good everyday mascara, one to two coats gives a natural flutter, more and it looks clumpy. It did last well with no smudging.

Good for: Seperating and fanning the lashes

Bad for: Quick application

Score: 6/10

Revlon Custom Eyes Mascara £9.99 5ml

Whilst it doesn’t market itself as a volumising marcara, it does promise drama. The first point to note is that this mascara has two settings 1. Length and Drama, 2. Length and Definition. You twist the wand handle to change between the two, but in reality I’m struggling to notice what difference it makes. The second point is it had a RUBBER wand, a wobbly rubber wand at that, which I’m not a fan of. Despite this, the mascara was fairly easy to use, you get used to the flexi brush and it was good for getting right down to the root. The mascara separates and fans out the lashes. It added length, layers well, but definitely no drama here.

Good for: Length

Bad for: Fiddly rubber wand

Score: 6.5/10

Revlon Grow Luscious Plumping Mascara £9.99 10ml

What sets this one aside from other mascara is it’s size! The tube is large, the wand is large and the brush is HUGE. It seems unnecessarily so, it’s certainly longer than the eyes width and I imagined it would end up all over the place. But it was easy to use and not too cumbersome. The formula I liked – no clumping or smudging and lasted all day. It coats the lashes quickly and generously, but not excessively. Again I found it created more length than volume. It was buildable but certainly didn’t have the WOW factor. My main criticism was that some how, it made me look like a had less lashes. I guess the bulkiness of the brush means it doesn’t separate or fan the lashes. It was also difficult to wash off, I needed to use eye make up remover as well as my usual face wash.

Good for: Quick application

Bad for: Washing off

Score: 6.5/10

Maybelline Volume Express Cat Eyes Mascara £7.99 10ml

Cat eyes by name, cat eyes by nature. This one did live up to the hype. Like a moth to a flame I was drawn to this one by its appearance – bright yellow fat tube with a band of leopard print, you can’t miss it! Now the brush takes some getting used to, it’s very small, curved and quite fiddly. I didn’t feel like I had great control, but it is good for getting down to the root of the lash and inside the inner corners. The formula I like, it immediately and generously coats the lashes and is very buildable. It separated the lashes, fanning them across the upper lid for that wide-eyed/cat eye look. It lengthened and curved the lashes with no smudging and no clumping!

Good for: Separating and curving the lashes

Bad for: Fiddly brush

Score: 7/10

17 FALSIFEYE Mascara £6.49 9ml

Everything about this mascara is BIG –the name, the chunky, bright pink tube, the results and unfortunately the wand. That’s my only criticism the wand is quite fat and cumbersome and I found it difficult to get in to the inner corners of the eye. BUT it’s that same fat wand that makes this mascara quick and easy to use. A quick coating really does add heaps of volume and creates that wide eye look. Add two or three coats to create a dramatic false lash effect. No clumping, no smudging and washes off with my regular face wash. Whats’s more amazing about this mascara is it’s price! It was my favourite mascara, for about a week until Lancôme released Doll Eyes, but remains a firm favourite and is pretty safe in my beauty hall of fame.

Good for: Volume and value for money

Bad for: Clumpy brush

Score: 8/10

LancômeHypnôse Doll Eyes £20.50

I’m a life long fan of Lancôme mascaras, for years Hypnose has been my favourite, but I haven’t loved their every offering – Amplicils didn’t do it for me, nor did Virtuose but with Doll Eyes they’ve hit the spot, well mine at least. This mascara has the holy grail WOW-factor. If you’re looking for drama – this one has it! It coats lashes generously, gives instant volume, separates, fans and creates the illusion of having more lashes than you do. One coating is all you need, but if you’re looking for the false lash effect, a couple more coats will do it – but be warned, mine end up poking my eye brows! I especially love the brush; it’s tapered at one end making it easy to get to the small lashes in the inner corners and separate the clusters at the outer edges. The only downside I can find, is that it’s prone to some smudging beneath the lower lash line, but I did road test it in the Greek heat! It’s pretty expensive too but I’m hooked! Doll eyes is now my number one mascara and secret weapon when I need some va va voom!

I popped to the shops yesterday to make some last minute essential holiday purchases and ended up picking up a few unexpexted extras along the way – I just didn’t bank on seeing so many bargains!

No7 Soft and Soothed Cleanser £3 Boots

It’s No7 voucher time again and this is my all time favourite cleanser. It’s great for dry skin and leaves a lovely moisturised glow. Normally £8, just £3 with the voucher.

Revlon Nail Enamel in Facets of Fuchsia £4.49 Boots

Words or pictures can do this nail polish justice, it’s seriously HOT! Part of Revlon’s Autumn/Winter 11 collection, it’s a grey polish jam packeked with Berrylicious specs of glitter. Currently on promotion at Boots, save £2. Here’s a quick swatch on my finger.

Poundland can be great for picking up branded cosmetics for, well £1. It can be hit and miss but pretty rewarding when you discover some gems, like this Rimmel 3 Looks Volume Mascara in Black and 60 Second Nail Polish in Desert Beauty.

GOSH Professional Eye Brush £5.99 Superdrug

I’ve been on the look out for a slanted, precision eye shadow brush with firm bristles and this fits the bill nicely. I didn’t want to spend too much and thanks to GOSH, I didn’t have to. Made from synthetic bristles – it’s great for shadow and liner.

Tail Comb 99p Superdrug and Travel Bottles £1 Primark

I have my tangle teezer for battling the holiday hair tatters, but this tailcomb I need for backcombing. And last buy by no means least, these handly little travel bottles so I can decant some shampoo and conditioner – they even come with little lables.

“Buy it now, or regret it later” if ever there was an example of that, not buying Ever Hip would be it! This limited edition shade formed part of Mac’s Flower Flower collection earlier in the year. I tested it, liked it but decided I didn’t need it (like we ever really NEED a lipstick). Deciding to mull it over I walked away to think about it. I knew I should have bought it, but I let me conscience get the better of me. By the time I went back to buy it, it had sold out, after all it is a limited edition and we all know Mac Limited Editions don’t hang around long.

I could have kicked myself because I’d been wanting a “perfect” coral shade for the summer and this was it, I just didn’t know it until I couldn’t have it, and of course once I couldn’t have it I wanted it so much more.

I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say I searched high and low to track down one of these bad boys and finally I have it, and just in the nick of time. You see, I’m going on holiday this week and this was meant to be my holiday lipstick.

Ever Hip is a Cremesheen lipstick – meaning it’s soft, moisturising and creamy. It’s semi opaque to opaque with a sheen, not shine finish. I would say it as a nudey coral. For me it’s the perfect coral shade – not too orange, not too pink, not too bright, just right! And I know it will team perfectly with a tan.

I couldn’t compare it to any other shade, the closest comparison I could make would be Mac’s Costa Chic, although that’s much bolder and further up the orange scale.

It looks a little paler in the picture

As well as the tan, I’m also planning to team it with coral nails in the shape of Revlon’s Tropical Temptation. Ok, you might think it’s a bit tacky matching lips and nails, but hey, it’s holiday!

The good old British summer is shaping up to be another washout, but don’t let that put you off embracing all things bright and beautiful. Just a couple of months from now, the days will be short, the nights will be dark; skin will be paler, cold sores and chapped lips will come a calling and dare I say the C word…..Christmas will be looming.

With that in mind I’m trying to make the most of this so called summer before it’s too late…. so I decided to “pimp” my nails. Revlon’s Tropical Temptation SCREAMS summer! I have been searching for a perfect coral shade for ages, and whilst this might not quite be it, it’s still striking.

2 coats

It’s a beautiful orangey coral – with hints of bublegum pink – depending on the light. It’s really bright and very opaque. The finish is glossy, but not what I’d describe as “jelly”. Although it’s highly pigmented it did apply a little streaky. It took three coats to achieve an even coverage, but it was worth it! The colour is very striking and eye catching – and still going strong after 5 days.

Following the trend for Summer savings, I had to share with you some bargainous nail treats I found on a website called Fragrance Direct. I’ve used the site before for perfume but never gave their cosmetics a glance… until now. They have a great collection of nail polishes from 99p including Revlon, Bourjois, Ciate and Rimmel.

My first Ciate nail polish – certainly not my last. These are cracking products and a steal at that price. There’s a good, but not extensive range of colours on offer, all with girls names – Pamela, Patsy, Victoria, Elizabeth and Kate, which I opted for. Kate’s a perfect bright pink – not fuchsia, not Barbie, I’d say somewhere in the middle. What I love about it is it’s super glossy. I was really impressed with the quality and texture of the formula – similar to OPI’s I thought. I applied two coats plus an under coat and it lasted for 5 days. It’s a very wearable colour – day or night.

Blue nails intrigue me. On the one hand (pardon the pun) they’re just wrong – nails aren’t meant to be blue unless they’ve been trapped in the door. On the other, blue’s a colour I really like and the right shade, with the right outfit can look fab. Surely for £1,50 it’s worth a go? YES! I chose a colour called Rock. Firstly I love the formula – really impressed by Revlon’s quality. Not too thick, not too thin, not glupey –just right. Only took 2 coats to achieve the bottle colour. On to the colour – I’m really disappointed by the pics, they’re not an accurate representation of the true colour, which I’d describe more as a purple-blue. It’s very flattering and not too garish. I’m glad I chose it, I’ll definitely wear it again. If you’re feeling brave, it has a glitter top coat called “Star” to go with it, also £1.50.

Now that I know I’m on to a good thing, I’ll no doubt be back for more. The only down side is that there’s a £1.99 UK delivery charge but delivery was super fast and it’s not much if you’re buying a few products.

I’m prepared for some serious backlash when I say this… but I’m starting to think thatNars products are seriously over rated!!?!? I thought this after I bought the Laguna Bronzer (and it crumbled to bits after two minutes), I especially thought it when I got their world famous ORGASM blusher and now I’ve branched out to their lip glosses, I KNOW IT! I’m not saying that they aren’t good, I’m just saying they’re hyped to hell and don’t live up to my expectations.

Like the Laguna Bronzer and Orgasm blusher, Turkish Delight lipgloss is another of their “It” products with a celeb and cult following – Apparently a favourite of Kim Kardashian. Like Kim I LOVE pretty pink and nude lips, so I expected this to tick all the boxes.

The colour I love. It’s a milky, baby pink – more like candy floss than Turkish delight.

It’s well pigmented but it’s semi-sheer, meaning you have to apply quite a lot if you want to achieve the bottle colour. I think it’s best teamed with a pale lipstick like Mac’s Angel. It’s very comfortable to wear, not at all sticky, but my main gripe with this product is its lack of staying power. It lasts two minutes – you find yourself having to reapply frequently. Oh and it doesn’t smell too good.

I know it sounds like I’m complaining for the sake of it, I do like the lipgloss – it’s a great colour, but at this price point (UK retail price £18) it could do better, correction SHOULD do better. I’ll enjoy wearing it, but there’ll be no repeat purchase.

I find it’s quite similar to Revlon’s Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Peach Petal which I love. It has a similar creamy texute and milky finish, but lasts longer and is a snip at £6.99.

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